I hear you, whistling along already 
Image by Erica_Marshall via Flickr
Well, let’s be honest, some of the words are all to appropriate at times. Take me, I’m 44 today, single mum, 2 kids (yes, they’re wonderful!), work part-time…..but I’m going to be made redundant at the end of this year. Although I had had some inkling that this was coming, the reality kicked me hard. I’ve been with this company for 17 years – it’s seen me through marriage, transferring from Cardiff to Gloucester, having my 2 aforementioned children, a horrid divorce and moving forward. It felt like a bereavement! I even had panic attacks which were very nasty – still get them at times if I’m honest.
So, what am I supposed to do with this pile of smelly stuff? Yes, ok, they do refer to it as shit in the song. Well, I did go into meltdown for a while. Friends would try to comfortingly say “you’ll be fine, you’re a clever woman….blah blah blah” but frankly I got to the point of almost shouting at them “how the hell do you know?” or “says who?”. Yes, I could claim all the benefits going and probably be financially ok – if not better off – but in my whole working life, some 24 years, I’ve only been on the dole for 2 weeks and I do not wish to start now. This having been said, I will if I absolutely have to – I’m not stupid.
Ok, so what else? Right for this we have to take a small step backwards in my life. After my divorce, I stayed in what had been the marital home for 5 years – a period which I believe gave some sense of stability to both my children and I. However, looking after a (lovely) detached house with front and back gardens to mow, wooden windows to sand down and repaint almost yearly and ever increasing little niggly things going wrong was becoming too much for me. So, eventually, I sold the house and moved into a rented house – against all of my friends’ best advice. I have not regretted this for a single day. We now live in a wonderful house and if anything goes wrong, I just get someone else to sort it out! I needed that break. With the money left over from the sale, which was not at the best time economically I have to admit, I opened a savings account. This has earnt a pitiful amount of interest in the almost two years that it’s been sat there. So, now is the time – I wish I could remember the advert, a car one, from many years ago when the guy was about to jack in his “safe” job and go it alone but it meant giving back the lovely company car – for me to take the plunge. But with what? Oh crikey, I don’t know, all I do know is that now is THE opportunity that I have been waiting for, the push.
Well, I’ve gone and done it. I’ve invested almost all of my savings (not forgetting that I’ll get a small sum as redundancy to fall back on) on something I have wanted for many years. No, not buying a place in France, that will come later. After a good deal of research and thinking and talking, I have bought a VW campervan – details will follow at a later date. I’ve loved them for years. It is not a passing phase. I know this because a couple of years ago my sister (Babs Saul) gave me a mug and tea towel as Christmas presents and last year I had a wonderful holiday in one. And there’s the key. The largest part of my research has been on companies running this as a business – holiday rentals of VW vans. There are a few, yes, it’s true but none in my geographical area – on the edge of the Cotswolds with perfect access to the M5 – Devon, Cornwall, the M4 – South Wales, Gower coast, M6 – north up to the Lake District or Scotland. Hmmmm. Then there are weddings, proms, festivals…ooo festivals or should that be ummm festivals???
Now I can hear all the sceptics saying “what are you thinking woman?” but for every one of you, there are those like-minded folks saying “Go for it!”. Well, what have I got to lose? Even if it doesn’t work out as a business, I’ve still got the means for holidays for me and the kids for the next umpteen years – result! And I’ll still have the van itself – yes, it will depreciate in value to some extent but they actually hold their value pretty well.
You see, from something awful something wonderful has come….. and if all goes well in a few years time, France may now be a real option!
So, off I go…. whistling all the way
